Floridians Split about Bush, Rubio Candidacies

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Saint Leo University Polling Institute

Mar 25, 2015, 01:00 ET

SAINT LEO, Fla., March 25, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Florida Republicans respond favorably to the prospect of either their former Governor Jeb Bush or their current U.S. Senator Marco Rubio running for president, according to a new survey conducted by the Saint Leo University Polling Institute.

According to the poll, 63 percent of Florida Republicans would like to see Bush run for president. Another question asked Sunshine State Republicans if they would like to see Rubio run, and 58 percent responded with a "yes." But if voters were asked to choose between the two, 54 percent of Florida Republicans said they would support Bush, while 36 percent would choose Rubio.

In the politically mixed response base of Republicans, Democrats and independent voters, the two leading Republicans generated split reactions. When asked about the former governor running for president, 45 percent of Florida voters said they would like to see Bush run and 45 percent said they would not. For Rubio, 40 percent would like him to run but 45 percent would not. The full results are below.

Would you like to see Florida Senator Marco Rubio run for president of the United States in 2016?

		Subgroups:
All	Possible responses	Republicans	Independents	Democrats
40%	Yes	58%	32%	28%
45%	No	20%	56%	60%
16%	Don't know / not sure	23%	12%	12%

Would you like to see former Florida Governor Jeb Bush run for president of the United States in 2016?

		Subgroups:
All	Possible responses	R	I	D
45%	Yes	63%	50%	29%
45%	No	26%	38%	63%
10%	Don't know / not sure	11%	12%	8%

Let's say both Florida Senator Marco Rubio and former Florida Governor Jeb Bush run for President in 2016. Which candidate would you support?

		Subgroups:
All	Possible responses	R	I	D
30%	Marco Rubio	36%	26%	27%
39%	Jeb Bush	54%	41%	25%
25%	Neither	4%	20%	44%
7%	Don't know / not sure	7%	12%	4%

"Florida Republicans seem to like both Governor Bush and Senator Rubio and they are happy they may run for president," said Frank Orlando, instructor of political science at Saint Leo University. "General election voters, as one would expect in a swing state like Florida, are split right down the middle."

The full release can be found at the Polling Institute website.

SOURCE Saint Leo University Polling Institute